Black Bean Avacado Salad

Kuki and I have over-loaded on Calories this past weekend. First my friend got married in Jaipur , then his friend got married in Bangalore... It seems all high-flying... but it has put us on a huge set back in terms of the Weight we have been trying to loose. The universe has consipired against us by letting us loose in Food-World and ending up in a Food and Drinks Coma.

So when I think what I will cook this weekend as a new Dish for my Kuks... This receipe came to look as PERFECT !!! Colourful and yet really tasty... and looks low cal. It says Feta Cheese, but I am going to try it with Paneer instead. Hopefully I will give a twist to it and come out with a spin off of my own.


BLACK BEAN AVOCADO SALAD RECIPE
makes 4 servings

prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 5 - 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS
6 pieces of Paneer/ Feta Cheese, if Paneer lightly toss the cubes
1 15 oz can of black beans, rinsed
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 mango, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 lime, squeezed
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 avocados, halved and pit removed
cilantro for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. In a frying pan, cook the paneer on low-medium heat until crispy. Let cool.

2. In a strainer, rinse the black beans.

3. In a large bowl, combine the paneer, beans, tomatoes, mango, red pepper, lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.

4. Cut the avocados in half and remove the seeds. Scoop a generous serving of the black bean salad onto each avocado half. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro.

Forbidden Fruit Desert

Common now, everybody knows GOOD LOOKING FOOD is like the forbidden food for people who are on a DIET. This is my everytime thing. When on a diet – I automatically finds myself surfing Food related blogs, websites etc. So I have only just dieted for 5 days and I have started making a list of MUST-COOK-AND-EAT once I reach my GOAL weight !!! Hahahahaha ... the sad sad story of my life. So instead of boring you with the blah blah of weight and my life I am going to quickly tell you an easy desert receipt which involves Peaches !


Spiced Peaches après Leslie Thompson
1 can large firm peach halves
1 tsp. whole cloves
1 stick 3″ cinnamon
2/3 c. firmly packed brown sugar
2 T. vinegar
Drain syrup from peaches and pour syrup in sauce pan. Add the cloves and cinnamon. Boil rapidly until 1/2 c. syrup remains. Add brown sugar and vinegar and simmer 5 minutes. Pour over peaches in jar. Let stand overnight. Can be served hot or cold.
You can also serve on top of a tart, too. Now making a TART is another BALL GAME ! But thanks fo Hyper Market and Super Markets around the corner – you can now find ready made Tart Shells !!! Happy Eating !

Zucchini, sour cream and cheese soup

The whole point of doing a DIET is that you should not look at food. Contorary to popular mindsets - I find myself time and again logging onto websites to find receipes of what I can eat. So, as a rule I should Ideally be putting up a receipe that I would be eating. But yet again... I am posting something I would so want to relish - especially looking at the sour cream melting away in the picture into a thick hot soup. But, ahh well. I am def going to make this one when I have friends over the next time.

the recipe itself is pretty simple. The key is the cute presentation – here ladled into a hollowed out pumpkin and garnished with a dollop of sour cream and some dill.
2 pounds zucchini, cubed

1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Place zucchini and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil – reduce heat to medium and simmer until zucchini is very tender.

Pour into a large bowl, and when cooled to workable temperature use an immersion blender (hand held) to puree soup until almost smooth. Return soup to saucepan and add remaining ingredients. Stir over medium heat until warm.

Try it out and let me know how it taste. so what if i cannot, you are going to be my tastebud for a while.